Apparatus for casting metal articles



May 13, 1969 A. w. EBELING 3,443,629

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METAL ARTICLES Filed'July 18, 1966 III MII

Ill

||| lIl United States Patent O 3,443,629 APPARATUS FCR CASTING METAL ARTICLES Arthur W. Ebeling, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Amsted Industries Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 18, 1966, Ser. No. 566,020 Int. Cl. B22d 35/ 04, 37/00 U.S. Cl. 164-339 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for casting metal articles includes a foundation, a sealable tank supported by the foundation, a ladle in the tank, a mold assembly above the ladle having a gate, and a pouring tube between the ladle and the gate. A slide cut-off member is provided in the gate for terminating the ow of molten metal. A power cylinder is mounted on the foundation and is swingable from a remote position into a second position for operative engagement with the Slide cut-off.

This invention relates generally to an apparatus for casting metal articles and more particularly to an apparatus for bottom pressure casting metal articles.

It has been proposed to bottom pressure cast metal articles by placing a movable mold into position over a pouring tube of a conventional -bottom pressure casting apparatus. After the mold is filled, the ow of metal is shut off, the mold removed and a new rnold is moved into its place. In order to remove the rst mold before the metal poured therein has solidied a slide cut-olf is used to terminate fiow of metal into the mold and at the same time prevent the molten metal from flowing out of the mold. Such an apparatus is shown in United States lPatent No. 3,015,863 to C. F. Strom et al. and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

The mold cut-off device is actuated by a hydraulic piston carried on the mold carriage. Operation of this apparatus has been successful. However, one drawback does exist in that the hydraulic line to the piston must be connected after the mold is in place. This delays the pouring operation. It also increases the cost of the molding operation because of the necessity of supplying each mold with hydraulic devices.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bottom pressure casting apparatus wherein the above described difficulties are eliminated.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bottom pressure casting apparatus with an eiciently operating mold cut-off means.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mold cut-off means.

These and other objects and advantages will appear from a reading of the following detailed description of this invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a portion of the apparatus of this invention in its retracted position with the mold removed, and

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of this invention in its extended position taken along the plane of line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral denotes a mold apparatus which is mobile and adapted to be moved on wheels (not shown) into place over the pouring tank 12. Reference may be had to copending application Ser. No. 382,533, led July 14, 1964, now Patent No. 3,340,926, entitled, Casting Apparatus, for details of the construction and operation of mold 10. The pouring tank 12 which is a conventional pressure pouring tank is dis- 3,443,629 Patented May 13, 1969 posed in a pit 14 in the foundation 16 of the plant. The arrangement of the tank 12 and mold 10 is such that a plurality of molds can be utilized with a single pouring tank.

The mold 10 is positioned with its ingate assembly 18 over the pouring tube 20 of the tank 12. The rear end of the mold is raised as by a jack (not shown), thus lowering the ingate 18 into air tight position over the pouring tube 20. The tank 12 comprises a receptacle 22 and a cover 24 detachably mounted thereon in sealing relationship thereto to confine air pressure in the tank 12. A ladle 26 is mounted in the tank which ladle contains molten metal 28.

The pouring tube 29 extends from outside of the cover as at 30 and projects into the molten metal 28 as at 32. The tube 20 is secured to the cover 24 by suitable means (not shown) and is in sealed relationship thereto. The pouring tube, when the mold is in position, is in open communication with the ingate I8 and thus the mold 10. Molten metal 28 is then forced upwardly through the tube 20, the ingate 18 'and into the mold 10 by air pressure produced in the tank 12 by suitable conventional means (not shown).

The ingate 18 comprises a housing 34 having an opening or hole 36 receiving therein `a bushing 38 which may be of any desired material such as `a ceramic material. The ingate assembly 18 has a slot 40 extending horizontally through the housing 34. A slide or cut-off plate 42 is positioned to slide through the slot 40. The slide 42 is provided with an opening 44 of substantially the same diameter as bushing 38 which opening 44 is adapted to register with the inner bore 46 of the bushing 38. A ceramic sleeve 48 is provided in the opening having an inner bore 50 substantially equal in diameter to the bore 46 of the bushing 38. The slide 42 is provided with a solid flat portion 52 of greater length `and width than the bore 46 of the bushing 38. When the slide 42 is activated to shut off ow of molten metal through the ingate 18, this portion 52 is moved across the slot 40 to a position covering the bore 46, thereby shutting off ow of metal therethrough.

The slide 42 is mounted for horizontal movement between its open and closed positions in ingate 18 by slot 40 which are all supported on the carriage 56 of the mold assembly 10. Two pairs of roller guides `S8 are mounted on the support v54 in rotatable position by pins 60. The pairs of roller guides 58 are spaced from each other to provide support for extension 62, and each roller in a pair is spaced `from the other to limit lateral movement of extension `62. The extension 62 of the slide 42 is adapted to be retained by the roller guides 58. The extension 62 is provided with its end 64 remote from the flat portion 52, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

The end 66 of the support S4 remote from the ingate assembly 18 is provided with parallel side plates 68 which are positioned on either side of the support 54. The side plates 68 are provided with a recess 70 adapted to receive the head 96 of a piston 92. The end 64 of the extension 62 is positioned between the two side plates in the vicinity of the recesses 70. Secured to the end '66 of the supper rearwardly of the side plates 68 is a stop 72 consisting of a bottom plate 74 and a top plate 76 spaced therefrom and secured to the rearward portion of the side plates 68.

A recess 78 in the foundation 16 is provided in the vicinity of the pit 14. A motor 80 is positioned in the recess 78, which motor 80 is provided with a shaft 82 operatively connected to an oscillator 84. The motor and oscillator are conventional. An arm 86 is secured to the oscillator 84 and is adapted to be moved from a position in the recess 78 parallel to the oor 88 (FIGURE 1) to a vertical position as shown in lFIGURE 2.

A hydraulic or another similar cylinder 90 is attached to and movable with the arm 86. The cylinder 98 is provided with a conventional piston (not shown) to which is attached a piston rod 92. Hydraulic or other uid to move the piston is supplied to the cylinder 90 by line 94 connected to a source of hydraulic 'uid (not shown). A plunger 96 is attached to the end of the piston rod 92. Secured to the end of the cylinder 90 adjacent to and surrounding the piston rod is a flange 98.

The plunger 96, ange 98 and cylinder are so dimensioned that they will be received by the recesses 70 in the side plates 68. A suitable stop (not shown) is provided to align the plunger 96 with the end 64 of the slide cut-off plate.

In operation, the mold with the ingate assembly 18 is rolled on carriage S6 into yposition over pouring tube 20. The mold 10, ingate 18 and tube 20 are placed into airtight relationship. The motor 80 is energized to rotate oscillator 84 to raise the rod A86, cylinder 90 and associated structure into the position shown in FIGURE 2. The mold 10 is then tilled with the molten metal 28 in the conventional pressure pouring operation. After the mold is lled, flow of the metal 28 through the ingate 18 is to be shut off. Hydraulic uid is forced through line 94 into the cylinder 90 thereby moving the piston, piston rod 92 and plunger 96 to the right. The plunger 96 contacts the end 64 of the extension 62 that contacts slide eut-off `42, moving it to the right until the soli-d at portion y52 covers the opening -4'6 of the ingate 18, thereby shutting off ow of metal and preventing the metal in the mold from running out of that portion of the ingate above the Plate.

The pressure on the piston in the cylinder 90 may cause the cylinder to move to the left. Substantial rearward movement is prevented by the flange 98 on the cylinder engaging the stop 72. The pressure in the cylinder is then relieved, permitting the piston and associated structure to return to its original position. A spring, a second hydraulic line or other conventional means may be used to return the piston to its original position. The motor 80 is again energized to rotate the oscillator in its opposite direction, thereby returning the cylinder 90 and associated structure to the position shown in FIGURE 1. The mold 10 may now be removed to a place remote from the tube 20 and a second mold rolled into place in order that the cycle may be repeated.

It should lbe understood that various modifications may be made in this apparatus within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for casting metal articles including a foundation, a sealable tank supported by said foundation, a ladle in the tan-k adapted for containing molten metal, a mold assembly movable to and from said tank and having a gate, and a pouring tube communicating between said ladle and said gate, the combination of slide cut-off means attached to said mold assembly for terminating ow of metal through said gate, and power means supported by said foundation for actuating said slide cut-01T means, said power means being mounted for swingable movement from a first position remote from said slide cut-off means to a second position proximate said slide cut-off means, for urging said slide cut-off means into a closed position to terminate the flow of said metal.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said slide cut-0E means comprises a support mounted on said mold assembly, a slide adapted to shut ott said gate, said slide ibeing supported for horizontal movement by a plurality of roller guides mounted on said support.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said power means comprises a motor mounted on said foundation, an oscillator connected to said motor, and a fluid operated motor supported on said oscillator and adapted to be moved from said foundation to a position for operative engagement with said cut-off means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said foundation is provided with a recess for reception of said uid operated motor when said motor is not operatively engaged with said cut-ott means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said support is provided with stop means to retard rearward movement of said power means when said cut-off means is actuated to interrupt flow of metal in said gate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,921,351 1/1960 Momm 164-337 X 3,201,837 8/1965 Sylvester 164-337 X 3,265,348 8/1966 Sylvester 164-133 X 3,279,002 10/1966 Meves et al. 164-337 I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

EUGENE MAR, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

